Citizens' Daily Lobby

Mark Pryor, Mike Ross, and Blanche Lincoln have each issued statements opposing the new Ouachita National Forest Travel Management Plan.    This plan is being implemented as part of a nation-wide revision of travel use, including the use of off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in our National Forests.   Ross and Pryor sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack asking him to suspend any implementation of the new rules until local, state, and federal officials can study the plan’s economic impact.    It may be easy in this election year  to forget that the plan  had an extended period of public criticism and comment prior to its adoption.  Beginning in 2007, several open houses were held to discuss the issue,  and “interested parties” were provided with a detailed description of the proposed plan in 2008.  Legal notice of a formal 30-day notice and comment period was placed in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in February, 2008.  Over  150 comments were received in response to the letter to interested parties.  Over 750 comments were received during the public comment period.  It seems to me that the issue has been heard.

Just what are these onerous new regulations?  The two that seem to be generating the most angst are  that 1)cross country travel (where there are no existing trails) has been specifically prohibited and 2)use of the Wolf Pen Gap trail system has been limited to weekends and holidays from May to September.   According to our elected officials, a substantial tourism economy exists in Mena and elsewhere in the region that absolutely depends on having access to the trails for OHV use year-round with no restrictions.  It should be pointed out that the new plan gives some additional use of forest land to hunters who can now retrieve big game from regions where they previously could not.

The plan was designed in order to provide some balance to ecological and environmental concerns as well as public use issues.

A 45 day period for appeal of the plan went into effect on January 4, 2010.  To find out more about the appeals process, you may contact Lisa Cline at the Ouachita National Forest, phone 501-321-5202.  To read more about the proposed plan changes, please check out the Ouachita National Forest website.